7.12.15

Brighton stone circle

You might have been intrigued by numbered stones appearing off-grid in the pavements around London Road, Brighton. I'd already spotted three: the first I noticed was No. 33 opposite Aldi, then on that northerly spur of Elder Place I found Nos 49 and 50. After a bit of research on Twitter, I discovered that this was an art project linked to the refurbishment of the old Co-op building, by a group called The Brighton School. (It's funded by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Section 106 scheme for developers and by Recreate, part-funded by INTERREG IV A France (Channel) England and the European Regional Development Fund.)

Anyway, on Sunday there was an urban ramble to walk the circle, facilitated by Cara Courage, and we met at midday by the cash machine to the west of Preston Circus, where to my surprise, we found stone No 1!

No. 2 was nearby and we followed our maps across to the fire station and Duke of York's and on to Stanley Road behind them, where there were lots in people's front gardens. On The Level, there were stones set in grass already growing lichen, which I'd never noticed before, and along the cycle path, which I'd also been past hundreds of times.

We passed the one that started it all for me No. 33, then it was up Cheapside towards the station, where I had the pleasure of taking my bike up the new urban lift.

Next stop was the New England Quarter Greenway (somewhere else I'd never been before) festooned with Jon Mills's Loco Works sculptures, which was home to the smallest stone of all, No. 46.

Then it was back to the start, via a car park and some steps (I cycled round them). A pleasant hour and a half of psychogeography, despite the drizzle. I think we may have missed two or three, because of parked cars and overgrown gardens, but why not try it yourself?

By the way, the centre of the circle is not the old Co-op building as I thought it might have been, but somewhere near Providence Place; the diameter of the circle is equal to the length of London Road. The stones came from St Peter's church and the carving was done in New England House. There is no map online, but here's a scan of the ones that were given out.